From an early age I was an advocate of fashion, following trends incessantly. I knew that I wanted a vocation that would feed this appetite, but when you’re fresh out of school it’s hard to know exactly what you want to do and where to begin. Not knowing where to start, I took some time out to travel; experiencing different cultures and meeting new people helped focus my mind. I’m naturally quite analytical so when I returned to British soil I researched different careers in fashion and came to the conclusion that fashion buying was the job for me. Unless you have an amazing careers advisor, it can be hard to know where to turn. I wasn’t aware of the fashion degrees out there, so I picked a subject that would provide a solid foundation regardless of my career path. Business is a really broad subject and can be applied to everything. I knew that it would provide me with the knowledge I need working in any industry.
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I buy for the Harvey Nichols Contemporary Collections across all our UK stores, Harvey Nichols Dublin and harveynichols.com. In total I look after nearly 100 brands, so I need to be pretty organised to keep on top of everything. It’s a fantastic role that opens you up to the business as a whole; I work closely with the press and marketing teams, offering exclusive content to the editorial department, advise our merchandise and display teams and regularly speak to our in store stylists.
Every morning is spent reading emails; this helps save time and means I can get the ground running before I arrive in the office. A priority every morning is to check the sales figures. We look for strong performers and opportunities to reorder in styles that are selling well. Stock moves quickly so it’s important to get in there before other retailers. Monday mornings are taken up with trade meetings, where we review the past weeks sales figures and run through the deliveries for the week ahead. Every Tuesday I complete a floor walk with the department manager; it’s important to check in on how brands are performing, reassess the merchandising and look at areas where we can improve and generally get a feel for how our customers are reacting to the product on the shop floor. Our daily routines are often dictated by the buying season so afternoons are usually spent either planning a trip, writing orders or I’ll be away on a buying trip and planning for the season ahead. This is one of the most exciting parts of my job, seeing the collections in the fashion houses and getting really excited when I find a new brand that I love, and even more excited when the stock hits the floor and we see the customers reaction to it.
As a buyer you are always working a season ahead, sometimes more, as the most important part of your job is to keep on top of trends, always having an eye on the ball. It’s where my business skills have really come into play; you really need to be savvy. It’s one thing to know what the trends are, but as a buyer you also need to know when to buy into them and when to leave well alone. It’s important to be enthusiastic about what you do too. For me, working around passionate, talented people every day keeps that drive and motivation going, even when my feet haven’t touched the ground for months travelling around trade shows and fashion weeks.
The fashion industry is a small place so climbing my way up the ladder has been a mixture of reaching out to brands and utilising my connections. Don’t be put off by applying for an entry level role if you’re lacking experience; it’s about offering a skill set that can be applied to that role. I was quite lucky with my first job at Topshop, as I was lacking the fashion background that so many graduates struggle with. My advice would be, don’t be afraid to try something that isn’t your dream job initially; it will help shape your career and yourself as an employee. The luxury industry can be challenging to get a get into. A big part of climbing the ladder is who you know and being in the right place at the right time. If you can get yourself in the right place, the opportunities do arise. Persistence, dedication and showing a passion for what you do will get you far in this industry.
Selective and Product Development buying are really different fields, not only in pace but in skill set too. With Product Development you are much more involved with the making of the garments, so in some ways you are much closer to the product. For me, the passion for buying came from my admiration for the runway shows; the beautiful design and editorial campaigns from luxury labels like Céline, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Azzedine Alaїa. Luxury fashion was always the end game for me.
I’ve always been attracted by the pace and brands in the contemporary sector. It was an emerging division within fashion when I started, so the potential to uncover it and bring new brands to customers was exciting. Today the contemporary offering is built up of smaller, niche brands such as O’2nd, Sea NY and Toga Pulla who sit alongside giants like Helmut Lang, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Kenzo, which do such different jobs within the area and appeal to a wider market of customers. This department for Harvey Nichols has been a platform for emerging talent such as J.W. Anderson and Mary Katrantzou to grow in the business, building up a dedicated legion of customers and propel the brands to the forefront of the industry. Many of the labels we pick up and nurture start in this department and then grow to become part of our bigger international offering. It’s fantastic to say that we have been a part of that and had such a pivotal role in raising the profile of these brands. For consumers, the platform enables fashion savvy shoppers to buy into a new label, experiment with a style offering and dare to become a tastemaker. The price points are accessible, so for entry-level fashionistas, contemporary is a category they can invest in.
I really relate to the brands that fall into this category; it’s a style that I embody myself and a trend that has been building in momentum over the past few seasons. Contemporary collections provide everyday styles in a luxed-up form, featuring design details that add interest and a point of difference. These collections aren’t necessarily about following trends, they offer individuals the opportunity to style pieces in their own unique way; for example mixing a silky spaghetti strap dress from Acne with Adidas Stan Smiths. Contemporary collections are experimental and embody sports-luxe, which is a developing trend that grows truncation season after season.
A key role of being a fashion buyer is to keep up-to-date with the trends in the industry and forecast what will become a trend down the line. A lot of what is happening in the current season will be obtained in market. Buying appointments, that take place before the shows, provide an early indication of a trend, but when you’re visiting different showrooms and watching the catwalk shows you start to notice patterns, whether that’s a colour combination, a stand out piece such a parka that’s included across the board, I will make sure that I have it covered in my buy. Social media also now plays a pivotal role in setting trends too. It can be the making of a hero product – the Kenzo icon sweater is a prime example of this and still continues to be a sell-out style.
As a buyer we use historical data to influence our buying decisions, but there is definitely an element of ‘if you love it and can see the Harvey Nichols customer buying it, then it should be in your selection’. We buy with the intention of inspiring our customers, offering new collections and styles that they may not have considered before. It’s about offering a key edit of brands that really showcase the best in the market. There is always an element of risk in the more standout pieces, but we have quite a daring customer, so the exciting pieces usually sell well. Our bread and butter really comes from the understated, paired back yet luxed-up normcore pieces. I look for collections that offer a point of difference, design details and experimentation with fabrications and silhouettes that turn an ordinary cardigan into an item that will really makes an outfit. This season I’ve got some amazing runway knits coming through from Demy Lee, who epitomises cool cashmere and Le Kilt, whose contemporary twist on a Scottish classic is set to make the kilt a must have piece this autumn.
We work closely with our brands and sometimes make small adjustments to ensure our buy is relevant to our customer. Sometimes it’s as simple as dropping a hemline, other times it’s about re-working a colour way that is exclusive to our store. We know through customer insights that the Harvey Nichols customer responds better to a burgundy than a lipstick red for example. But by no means do we ever want to change the vision of the designer, as this paramount to their collections and what fashion is all about after all.
Practical fashion is now cool. Thank god we don’t all have to step out in 6” heels every day. With flats now at the forefront in fashion you will mostly find me in a pair of Isabel Marant leather sliders or Acne leather sneakers. I’m often running around at buying meetings so comfort is key, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose out on looking stylish. My go-to brands are Carven, Acne, J.W. Anderson, MM6 and Marques’Almeida denim.
After work, I like to go for a run, it clears away any stresses of the day, while dinner with friends provides the perfect opportunity to sample the latest restaurant openings and have a gossip over a wine or two. Most weekends are spent at a gallery or musing around town with my camera. I have a real love for photography, so often have it slung around my neck when I’m out and about. My off-duty wardrobe is pretty similar to my work wear wardrobe, which is one of the great advantages of working in fashion. I’m really passionate about the brands I buy, so when I buy something new, I want to wear it all the time.
I’m often out on buying trips 2-3 times a month, but being away from home, I try and squeeze in a few personal trips too! I always love travelling to Paris, New York and Copenhagen; they have so much to offer from fashion, food and culture. We find the majority of our new labels in New York and Sweden so it’s important to visit the shows and tradeshows there. When I need to switch off from it all, a trip to my husbands’ parents in the Italian lakes is the perfect place to relax and unwind. When I was in my 20s I had a big five year plan but for now I’m just want to focus on enjoying what I’m doing now and being happy.
This interview had been edited and condensed. Photographs by David Nyanzi.